Emergency descent apparatus

ABSTRACT

A device useful for descending from an elevated location along a strand of webbing or similar material is disclosed, which includes a housing containing a tortuous path through which the strand is drawn as the housing moves downward on the strand. Means for automatically maintaining an essential uniform rate of descent essentially irrespective of the weight of the escaping person are included, and a unique handle arrangement permits immediate reuse of the device without having to draw the strand back through the housing.

United States Patent [191- Ledner [111 3,826,341 [451 July 30, 1974EMERGENCY DESCENT APPARATUS Inventor: Albert C. Ledner, 5328 BellaireDr., New Orleans, La. 70124 Filed: Sept. 11, 1973 Appl. No.: 396,241

Related US. Application Data Continuation-impart of Serv No. 344,436,March 23,

US. Cl. 188/655, 182/5 Int. Cl A62b 1/14 Field of Search 182/5, 6, 7;188/654,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1924 Bass 188/654 2,437,8643/1948 Staley 182/5 Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado Attorney,Agent, or FirmJ. Gibson Semmes [5 7] ABSTRACT A device useful fordescending from an elevated location along a' strand of webbingorsimilar material is disclosed, which includes a housing containing atortuous path through which the strand is drawn as the housingvmovesdownward on the strand. Means for automatically maintaining an essentialuniform rate of descent essentially irrespective of the weight of theescaping person are included, and a unique handle arrangement permitsimmediate reuse of the device without having to draw the strand backthrough the housing,

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 1 EMERGENCY DESCENT APPARATUS REFERENCE TORELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 344,436, filed Mar. 23, 1973 by Albert C. Ledner,for EMERGENCY DESCENT APPARATUS.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to emergency escapedevices, particularly those permitting descent from dangerous locationssuch as burning buildings by means of apparatus which will descend astrand of webbing or similar material under the control of the escapingperson or objects.

Such devices have been known; for example, US. Pat. No. 300,090 toLarson et al. shows an'early device in which a strand of rope isdirected through a tortuous path housing and the rate of descent alongthe rope is controlled by cam levers which may be actuated by theescapingperson or by persons on the ground or in the adjacent building.US. Pat. No. 722,7l3 to Johnson shows another device which permits theoperator to descend along 'a strand while controlling his speed with apair of rope gripping jaws. US. Pat. No. 812,950 to Price shows yetanother tortuous path escape device with a friction brake which permitscontrol of the speed in only one direction along the strand.

US. Pat. No. 933,685 toWray illustrates an escape system which permitsmovement in either direction along the strand and includes separatefriction brakes for control of movement inthe opposing directions. US.Pat. No. 1,059,754 to Paquet depicts yet another tortuous path fireescape in which the strand is directed along a helical path through thehousing and may be engaged by the operator with hand operated frictionbrakes which control the rate of descent in either direction. Bass showsin US. Pat. No. 1,497,534 an escape device in which the strand is ledaround a friction roller and past hand-actuated brake devices at eitherend of the housing. US. Pat. No. 2,544,964 to Phelan disclosesa fireescape apparatus in which the strand is directed around a stationarysheave, through a pair of braking devices for controlling the rate ofmovement in one direction along the strand. I

Numerous problems have been experienced with devices such as the above.For example, an escaping person is required to actuate the speed controldevices using levers separate from the grips on which he would normallysteady himself during his descent. This reduces the safety of suchdevices. Also, the effectiveness of the speed controls in most instancesdepends upon the strength of the escaping person who applies thecontrol. This has the obvious disadvantage of making the device uselessfor weak or frightened users who might not have sufficient strength tooperate the device properly. Further, many devices move at speedsdirectly proportional to the weight of the person, which can resultinunsafe descent rates for a heavy person or too slow a rate for a smallperson such as a child.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A strand of webbing, rope or similar materialis directed through a tortuous path within a housing. The

strand is so directed that a plurality of portions of the moving strandare arranged to move in approximately parallel paths in close proximityto each other'bu t in alternately opposite directions. Strand brakingmeans, actuable from outside the housing are provided to selectivelyprevent movement of the strand in one or the other direction through thehousing. When the braking means are actuated, the neighboring portionsof the moving strand are automatically driven into contact with eachother under. the action of the brake, which increases brakingefficiency. A handle is attached to the housing in proximity to easilymovable means for deactuating the brake within the housing using thethumb. When the housing has moved to one end of the strand after adescent, the device is ready for immediate reuse, without having to drawthe strand back through the housing. Auxiliary braking means locatedwithin the housing apply a continuous but variable, resistance tomovement of the strand and are actuated by the weight of the usertransmitted through a seat or sling in which the user rides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS I DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENTS There follows a detailed description of the invention,reference being had to the drawings, in which like reference numeralsdesignate like elements of structure in each of the several FIGURES.

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the invention, partially in section. Anessentially rectangular housing 10 of suitable material such as castaluminum or high impact resistance plastic includes side wall openings12 and 14 to permit movement of a strand 16 of webbing,'rope or similarmaterial through the tortuous path resistance 18 and braking mechanisms20 and '22 located therein. Also included in housing 10 are side wallopenings 24 and 26 for attachment of handles 28 and 29.

The strand of webbing or similar material is threaded through opening12, under pin 30, over roller 32 and under pins 34 and 36. It thenpasses over and around pin 8 and reverses direction back along itself topass over and around'pin 42. From there it reverses direction' againback along itself to pass over and around pin 46, located below pin 38.The strand reverses direction a third time to pass over pins 48 and 50,located below pins 36 and 34, around roller 52, over pin 54, out

through opening 14, and over bolt 116 in sling support secured tohousing 10 by pivot posts 60 and 62. Levers 56 and 58 are biased at alocation remote from pivot posts 60 and 62 by springs 57 and 59, asshown, to maintain attached braking shoe plates 64 and 6 6 in lightcontact with the outermost strands of webbing in resistance 18 Tounderstand the automatic function of the brake levers, consider thatweight is placed on handles 28 and 29 so as to tend to move housingalong strand 16 and cause strand 16 to move through the housing fromopening 14 to opening 12. Braking shoe plate 66 is mounted on lever 58so that it leads in the direction of movement of the strand 16 in thisexample. Once enough weight is applied to handles 28 and 29 to overcomethe friction of resistance 18, the strand 16 will begin to move;however, since shoe plate 66 is biased and-leads into contact withstrand 16, it will be caught by the strand causing lever 58 to rotateclockwise about pivot post 62. The more strand 16 moves due to appliedweight, the further will lever 58 be rotated by the combined effects ofthe shoe plate 66 and the strand 16. Thus, the braking effect increasesas more weight is applied by increasing the friction between shoe plate66 and strand 16 and by causing the essentially parallel oppositelymoving strands in resis tance 18 to contact one another. Opposite handedbrake lever 56 and shoe plate 64 provide no resistance to movement ofthe strand 16 in this direction, but,

function identically to brake lever 58 and shoe plate 66 when the'strandis moved through the housing in the opposite direction. If desired, theends 65 and 67 of brake shoe plates 64 and 66 may be roughened ortextured to increasethe friction with strand 16; however, increased wearof the strand will be experienced. Pins 36 and 48 ultimatelyserve asstops for levers 56 and 58.

Elongated extensions 68 and 70 of brake levers 56 and 58 extend fromhousing 10 through openings 72 and 74 aboveand below handle 29 as shown.Handles 28 and 29 comprise bolts 76 and 78 through openings 24 and, 26,over which are fitted sleeves 80 and 82, washers 84 and 86, lock washers87 and 88, nuts 90 and 92fand grips 94 and 96. The user of the devicemay deactuate brake levers 56 and 58 using his thumb on extensions 68and 70. An alternate brake deactuating mechanism would be that describedin my co-pending application Ser. No. 344,436, on page 7, lines 1 to 29;page 8,;lines l to 18; page 9, lines l8 to 25; and page guides 122 and124 at the other end. The spring clips bear upon strand 16 just adjacentto pins 30 and 54 and thus provide a certain inherent additionalresistance to movement of strand 16. Springs 146 and 148 extend betweenpin retainers 118 and 120 and pin guides 122 and 124 as shown, and tendto reduce the force with which brake pins 134 and 136 are driven intocontact with spring clips 138 and 140 by absorbing a portion of theforce exerted by the users weight applied through axles 106 and 108. Theheavier the person or object supported on sling bolts 114 and'l16, thegreater will be the'auxiliary braking force applied, which produces afairly uniform rate of descent.

FIG. 2 shows'a side elevation view, partially in section, taken alongline 2-2 of FIG. 1. The rotatable mounting of sling support arms 112 andthe coaction of axle 108 with spring retainer 120 are shown. If desiredto provide more or less friction in the, tortuous path resistance 18,various of the rollers may be made stationary pins or the pins may bemade rotating rollers, without departing from the spirit of thisinvention.

, outwardly extending hand guards 146 and 148, which 10, lines 1 to 6;however, the present device is simpler I to manufacture and use and isconsidered to bean improvement'thereover. r

A further control over the rate at which the strand 16 moves .throughhousing l0 may be provided by resistance elements 98 and 100 which areactuated in part by the weight of the-user- Elongated apertures 102 and104 in opposite sides of housing 10 slidably receive sling support axles106 and 108 from which rotatably depend pairsofsling support arms 110and 112, which in turn rotatably support sling support bolts 114 and116. l-l-shaped auxiliary brake pin retainers and spring seats 118 and120 abut axles 106 and 108 for-movement therewith so that-support axles106 and 108may bear upon brake pins 134 and 136 when weight isapplied-to sling support bolts 114 and 116; Attached to housing 10 arecombination spring seatsand auxiliary brake pin guides 122 and 124,which include horizontal spring seating surfaces 126 and 128 andessentially vertical brake pin guide bores'130 and 132. Auxiliary brakepins 134 and 136 are mounted between pin retainers 118 and 120 and pinguides 122 and 124 and extend through bores and 132 into contact withstrand braking spring clips 138 and 140. Spring clips 138 and 140 areheld in place by fixed posts 142 and 144 at one end and by the sides'ofpin deflect the apparatus from contact with projections on the adjacentstructure or building from which escape is being made and provideprotection from abrasion to the fingers and knuckles of the person usingthe device.

.Woven webbing such as shown in the drawings has been discovered to be asuperior strand material for use with the invention due to itscombination of large friction contact area, great flexibility andstrength; however, it will be appreciated that other materials such asrope or thin cable could be used without departing from the spirit ofthis invention.

In use one end of the strand of webbing is affixed to a high point inthe structure or vehicle from which escape is to. be made. The escapingperson then grasps handles 28 and 29 and places his weight in a seat orsling supported by sling support bolts 114 or 116. The strand beginsto;move against the friction of the tortuous path resistance and theauxiliary braking elements but is stopped by the automatic brakinglevers 56 and 58. Movement down the strand will start when the brakesare released using lever extensions 68 and 70, and may be discontinuedby releasing the lever extensions. To increase the rate of descent, theescaping person need only lift himself on handles 28 and 29, therebyatleast partially deactuating the auxiliary braking means and permittinggreater speed. When the escaping person has reached safety, the strandwill have been drawn through'the housing, thus readying the inventiveapparatus for immediate reuse. For returning the device to the elevatedpoint of danger, the next escaping person need only draw it back upusing the webbing and change the end of the webbing attached to the highpoint in the structure.

. Having described my invention in such clear and complete detail as toenable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use it, I claim:

1. A device useful for the emergency descent of animate or inanimateobjects, comprising:

A. a housing having openings therein;

B. a flexible strand passing through the openings of the housing;

C. means located within the housing for directing the strand through atortuous path thereby to provide resistance to movement of the strandthrough the housing;

D. means located 'within the housing in coactive relationship to thestrand and responsive to movement of the strand for preventing movementof the strand through the housing;

E. selectively actuable means for deactuating the means for preventingmovement of the strand;

F. spring means located within the housing for bearing resiliently uponthe flexible strand, thereby to provide additional resistance to themovement of the strand through the housing; and

G. means for increasing the resistance between the spring means and thestrand by compressing the spring means in response to the weight of thetransported object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tortuous path means comprises:

Cl. means for causing the strand to move in opposite directions inclosely adjacent paths as it passes Clb. a second pair of laterallyspaced pins attached to the housing below and spaced outwardly of thefirst pair, over and around the first of which and beneath the second ofwhich the strand is threaded;

Clc. a pin attached to the housing around which the strand is threaded;

Cld. a third pair of laterally spaced pins attached to the housing overthe first of which and over and around the second of which the strand isthreaded; and a fourth pair of laterally spaced pins attached to thehousing over which the strand is threaded.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the means for causing portions ofthe strand to contact one another comprises:

Dla. first and second brake levers; 1

Dlb. pivot means for'mounting the levers adjacent the closely adjacentpaths;

Dlc. a first brake shoe plate mounted on the first brake lever andcontacting the strand at angle leading in one direction of motion of theadjacent strand through the housing; and

Dld. a second brake shoe plate mounted on the second brake lever andcontacting the strand at an angle leading in the opposite direction ofmotion of the adjacent strand through the housing,

whereby as thestrand moves through the housing in either direction, therespective brake shoe plates will be caught by the strand and the leversrotated to force the shoes into braking contact with the strand and toforce the portions of the strand in the closely adjacent plates tocontact each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further including:

' Dle. resilient means for biasing the respective brake shoe plates intocontact with the strand. 1

6. The apparatus of claim 2, further including roller means for guidingthe strand into and out of the means for causing the strand to move inopposite directions in closely adjacent paths.

1. A device useful for the emergency descent of animate or inanimateobjects, comprising: A. a housing having openings therein; B. a flexiblestrand passing through the openings of the housing; C. means locatedwithin the housing for directing the strand through a tortuous paththereby to provide resistance to movement of the strand through thehousing; D. means located within the housing in coactive relationship tothe strand and responsive to movement of the strand for preventingmovement of the strand through the housing; E. selectively actuablemeans for deactuating the means for preventing movement of the strand;F. spring means located within the housing for bearing resiliently uponthe flexible strand, thereby to provide additional resistance to themovement of the strand through the housing; and G. means for increasingthe resistance between the spring means and the strand by compressingthe spring means in response to the weight of the transported object. 2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tortuous path means comprises: C1.means for causing the strand to move in opposite directions in closelyadjacent paths as it passes through the housing; and the means forpreventing movement of the strand comprises: D1. means for causingportions of the strand in the closely adjacent paths to contact oneanother, thereby providing resistance to movement of the strand.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for causing the strand to movein opposite directions comprises: C1a. a first pair of laterally spacedpins attached to the housing beneath Which the strand is threaded; C1b.a second pair of laterally spaced pins attached to the housing below andspaced outwardly of the first pair, over and around the first of whichand beneath the second of which the strand is threaded; C1c. a pinattached to the housing around which the strand is threaded; C1d. athird pair of laterally spaced pins attached to the housing over thefirst of which and over and around the second of which the strand isthreaded; and a fourth pair of laterally spaced pins attached to thehousing over which the strand is threaded.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2wherein the means for causing portions of the strand to contact oneanother comprises: D1a. first and second brake levers; D1b. pivot meansfor mounting the levers adjacent the closely adjacent paths; D1c. afirst brake shoe plate mounted on the first brake lever and contactingthe strand at angle leading in one direction of motion of the adjacentstrand through the housing; and D1d. a second brake shoe plate mountedon the second brake lever and contacting the strand at an angle leadingin the opposite direction of motion of the adjacent strand through thehousing, whereby as the strand moves through the housing in eitherdirection, the respective brake shoe plates will be caught by the strandand the levers rotated to force the shoes into braking contact with thestrand and to force the portions of the strand in the closely adjacentplates to contact each other.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, furtherincluding: D1e. resilient means for biasing the respective brake shoeplates into contact with the strand.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2,further including roller means for guiding the strand into and out ofthe means for causing the strand to move in opposite directions inclosely adjacent paths.